Scott William Newlands joined Edinburgh from Border Reivers in summer 2007 and made his Edinburgh debut as a replacement against the Ospreys at Murrayfield that October. He has since challenged strongly for first team selection, becoming a regular in the back row in season 2009/10.

Newlands, a seasoned sevens international, played in all nine of Scotland’s under-19 internationals in 2003-2004, including the IRB world championship tournament in Durban, South Africa. Previously, he had played for the national under-18 teams. His Scotland under-21 debut came in the match against France in Falkirk in February 2006. He featured extensively for the Scotland's 7s team in 2008, playing in tournaments in San Diego, Wellington, Dubai and Hong Kong.

Newlands played played in nine of Scotland’s 10 under-21 internationals in that same year. He originally had a contract with Border Reivers and made his competitive debut for the pro team as a replacement in the Magners League match against Glasgow Warriors at Hughenden in October 2006. That same month he was included in the Scotland squad for the IRB’s 2006-2007 sevens series. He holds a BSc in applied sports science from Edinburgh University.